Dead Last to Legend
by AmaterasuItachi
Summary: After retrieving Sasuke, Naruto gets punished for hurting the Last Uchiha from Konoha but he chooses to becomes a missing nin. Naruto soon makes friends with the most unlikeliest of people and becomes a legend in the making. However, he still has has a soft spot for Konoha. What will he do to remove the dark side to Konoha? Along with Uchiha Itachi, anything is possible.
1. The Clash

**Hi everyone. So this is my 1st story on FF. Hope everyone likes it. All suggestions are welcome. Let me know what you think. So, enjoy!**

* * *

" **CHIDORI"**

"**RASENGAN"**

The jutsus clashed together. A condensed purple ball of energy formed from the confrontation slowly expanded while the two justsus fought for dominance insides the sphere. Two small figures were blasted back from the sheer amount of power that had enveloped The Valley of the End. Both boys crashed into the stone statues that stood proudly at The Valley of the End, various loose stones dropping into the lake as a result of the hard contact. The feral looking boy managed to get back on his feet, as the red bubbling menacing cloak of chakra that surrounded him slowly disappeared. As that happened, his claws receded back into hands, his teeth lost their canine look, the whiskers lost their thickness and his eyes changed back from the red slitted evil eye of the fox. With his surprisingly crystal clear blue eyes that looked half closed, he stood atop Hashirama Senju's statue looking at his teammate, no his best friend. Uchiha Sasuke had not fared well. He was unconscious with a trickle of blood pouring from his mouth. From the way he was lying unconsciously, he seemed to have multiple broken bones. Naruto looked on with a small smile.

"I kept my promise Sakura-chan", he whispered as he collapsed, his knees buckling. His blood started pooling on the statue, a sickly dark crimson colour.

Hatake Kakashi had never been more worried in his life. His two students were battling it out, fighting for their lives. How had it come to this? After all, everything he did was to prevent this very thing from happening. He had trusted Sasuke, but because of his poor judgment his other blond and pink haired student were suffering and not only them, half of the Konoha 12 were on the verge of death. All because of him. Kakashi shook these thoughts out of his head. This was not the time for this, not when his students' lives depended on it He could think of his failure as a sensei later. He saw the end of the forest just as his Sharingan picked up colossal amounts of chakra. With his summon Pakkun leading the way, he moved through the dense forest at a quick pace, eager to reach the end. In a matter of seconds, he reached the Valley of the End. His eyes widened in surprise looking at the damage. It looked like a hurricane had passed through, destroying everything. It looked like the two boys had crashed into the statues after doing a considerable amount of damage which on second thought was an understatement. They had basically destroyed the place. However, Pakkun's urgent voice broke through his surprise.

"This one's losing a lot of blood. It might be too late and the on field medics are definitely are not enough. He has to get to the ICU ward NOW"

Kakashi was beside Naruto in an instant. He gently flipped Naruto onto his back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. On his chest was decent sized hole, the size of a Chidori. The wound looked bad, real bad.

" Sasuke", grimly thought the one-eyed man, " There will be hell to pay for this."

Acting quickly, he applied the basic first aid on Naruto, trying to at least quench the blood flow. No such luck. Pakkun was right; the field medics wouldn't be enough for this. He needed to see Hokage-sama as soon as possible, grimacing at the thought what would happen to him when he gave his mission report. He broke out of his thoughts and quickly popped a soldier pill into his mouth, his last one. Kakashi immediately felt the large influx of chakra. Not wasting any time, he quickly made a kage bunshin. Despite him wishing to leave Sasuke, the clone lifted the last Uchiha onto its back roughly, who seemed to have several broken bones, while its creator slowly lifted Naruto onto his back. The traitor didn't need to be shown any mercy according to him. If Sasuke had any unexplained brusing, the copy nin would blame it on the fact that the tree branches somehow ended up poking against the Uchiha violently through out the journey.

At an unseen signal, both Kakashi and his clone headed towards Konoha at breakneck speeds, Pakkun leading the way. Only a telltale gust of wind told of their departure.


	2. Back in Konoha

So far, so good! If anyone has any ideas please don't hesitate to tell me. That being said, do you think Sasuke should be good or should he just stay in his "the thirst for power and avenger mode". Plus, Choji is not part of the retrieval arc. Instead Gaara and Lee take on two opponents together. And yes, I know the chappies are short, but they will get longer(I hope). Also don't forget to tell me where I could improve and where are my strongest points. Before I forget, special thanks to my first reviewers, Darth Renda and one guest user. Many thanks to you both. Everyone please review my story, it's the only way to improve it.

So, Enjoy!

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Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane were alert for once at their job. After all who wouldn't be when their leader was right next to them? If they had been caught slacking off…they slightly shivered, the Hokage's fist would have been introduced to their faces and their next stop would be at the hospital. That lady could definitely pack a punch. However, the blond haired lady seemed to be too distraught to notice anything. Beside her were the Rookie 9 and Tenten. All looked worried and seemed to be searching the horizon for their friends.

Izumo knew why. They were waiting for the traitor Uchiha and the team that went to retrieve him. Even though the actual truth was the little Uchiha had abandoned the village in his thirst for power, the rumor floating around was that the jailor of the Kyuubi, Uzumaki Naruto was somehow influencing the Uchiha massacre survivor, causing him to leave the village under the demon's influence. Izumo scowled. He had no love for such shallow thoughts. He wondered just how long it would take everyone to realize Uzumaki Naruto was the jailor of the Kyuubi, and not the Kyuubi itself.

Izumo looked to his side to see if his partner was also having these same thoughts. His partner, Kotetsu's eyes were suspiciously shifting…to the Hokage? And his nose was bleeding? Oh no. Kotetsu was most definitely not having his same thoughts. He was taking a peek at the Hokage, who was not wearing her… jacket. Izumo's nose started dripping blood suddenly. As if sensing someone was doing something wrong, the Hokage turned her face slowly towards them. But before she could, a two blurs appeared on the horizon. It looked like two people, both carrying someone, moving at a high unhealthy speed. One of them however seemed to be drenched in blood. The two blurs in another few seconds crash-landed right in front of the Hokage. It turned out to be Kakashi and his clone.

"Kakashi, what the hell happe-" started the Hokage, but before she could continue, Kakashi interrupted her.

"No time, Tsunade-sama, Naruto needs immediate attention," he gasped out. Tsunade felt her stomach churn. The boy who she thought as her grandkid and brother was lying there with a hole in his chest.

"H-h how?"

"Chidori", whispered Kakashi painfully, "but Sasuke seems better off. Naruto held back"

"Damn", cursed the Hokage," Quick give him to me"

Kakashi handed over his student with trembling hands. Tsunade, without wasting any time, disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. The rest of the genins looked on with horror. Meanwhile, Kakashi dismissed his clone and took Sasuke into his own hands.

"Sensei, what about Sasuke? Will he be alright", came the voice of Sakura Haruno. She looked worried about Sasuke's condition, but also looked like a great weight was lifted from her shoulders.

"He'll be fine, Sakura. He'll make a full recovery." Kakashi replied with a frown that was hidden behind his mask. " As for the rest of you, wait here. The others should be arriving any moment." With that, Kakashi also disappeared in another whirlwind of leaves.

"Sensei, wait. I'm coming with you," yelled Sakura.

A minute of silence lasted through the area. Tenten broke it by saying, " Was that … Naruto… wrapped in Kakashi sensei's vest?

The pale Hyuuga seemed paler than usual as she whispered, " N-N-Naruto-kun, has a-a h-hole in his ch-chest with lots of-of b-blood c-coming out". With that she sank to the floor. Ino knelt down next to her.

"Hinata, how about you go to the hospital to see how he is? We'll catch up immediately after everyone comes back. Okay?" Ino gently said to the Hyuuga.

Hinata responded with a firm nod. As soon as Hinata left, Tenten exploded, " That traitorous, backstabbing BASTARD. How the HELL can he do that? They were teammates!"

Around her, everyone looked stunned. Even Choji had stopped eating with worry for his friend. They were all feeling sick at how Sasuke had treated his teammate. Ino spoke up, breaking the silence once more.

" D-Did you notice that S-Sakura didn't even spare a glance towards Naruto, even after he risked his life for her? Sh-She didn't even mention him, let alone ask how he is."

Shino spoke up in his monotonous voice," I think it would be in the best interest of everyone, the Rookie 9 and Team Gai, to keep away from Sakura and Sasuke. In the end it will cause us more harm than good"


	3. Catching Up

Its' again short. I know. But my excuse is that it just seemed like a good place to stop. And Darth Renada, i think i'll follow upon your suggestion, but he'll still be arrogant. This was more like a filler, but also to show Kyuubi, Naruto relationship. Plus, next chapter or next to next chapter has naruto going from konoha. In the reviews tell me how you want it, i'll see if i can incorporate the idea into my current idea. And i haven't said this before, but everything belongs to kishimoto and only the plot is mine. and guess who the 'him' the kyuubi is talking about is.

So, enjoy!

Bold and Italics- Kyuubi thinking

Bold- Kyuubi talking

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Naruto was slightly panicking. He had been here before. During the training for the Chunin exam finals, he had visited here. Ero-sennin had pushed him off a cliff, **purposely** and in desperation he had visited the Kyuubi's prison and demanded its chakra as rent. Not a wise thing to do now looking back on it. But, how did he end up in here again?

" **Grrrr" **the Kyuubi growled," **Little gaki. Come take my power. You felt it before didn't you? The power of the strongest biju. I will help you put that traitor Uchiha in his place. I know you are afraid of him being stronger than you. Now come, all you have to do is accept my power. Together, we can destroy anything in our path. We will be invincible. Never will you lose a battle again."**

" Hmmmmm…. My answer is NO. Never. So what if you'll lend me your power? I'm going to get stronger on my own. I will be the Hokage without your help, you big fur-paws.

"**It would be not wise to test my patience. You have no clue what I can do. I can destroy you with a mere thought."**

Naruto blinked. Then he started laughing. " Y-Y-You can destroy me with a single thought. That's hilarious. It sure explains why you are sealed inside me. "

Naruto pointed his finger at the Nine-Tails and with a confident grin continued, "Listen up, fur paws, I already told you before, but now I'll tell you again. I will become the Hokage on my own. With my power and power alone, I will make everyone acknowledge my existence. With my own two hands, I will protect my precious people. I don't need your help. Now, get that through your thick furry head."

The Kyuubi was silent for a while. Then he started laughing.

" **Brat. You have the guts and the words, but do you have anything to back it up?"**

"Watch me" replied Naruto in all seriousness.

" _**Just like him…hmmm"**_

**"Very well. I shall give you your chance. Amuse me and I shall provide my…services."**

Naruto grinned again," Just sit back and enjoy the show, fox. I, Uzumaki Naruto, holder of the Kyuubi, and future Hokage promise you that I will always protect my precious people and become one of the strongest shinobi ever seen by anyone" Naruto followed it up with his nice-guy pose," It's the promise of a lifetime."

"**I shall hold you to your promise"**

Naruto simply smirked. He turned to walk away and stopped just before he released himself from the mindscape. Naruto turned around.

" You know something fox? One day I'll do something about all that hate inside of you. Just leave it to me."

The Kyuubi's eyes widened.

"_**Uzumaki Naruto…"**_

With a start, Naruto woke.

"Naruto, calm down"

"Baa-chan… Sasuke. Where's Sasuke? And and how's everyone else?"

"Calm down, gaki. He's here. Everyone's here and fine. They are all going to make a full recovery"

"Thank goodness" he said as a small smile spread across his face.

Tsunade just shook her head smiling. This brat was going to be the end of her.

"So baa-chan, why am I wrapped in bandages in head to toe? I don't need it. I don't even feel hurt. Baa-chan, you're going senile in your old age aren't you? That's awesome. All you have to do is resign as Hokage and pass me the hat. And then I'll make all the ramen in Konoha free. Ramen. The thick broth, the Ichiraku's special, so many choices…" daydreamed Naruto while drooling thinking about ramen.

Tsunade felt her temper flare up. A visible tick mark appeared over her left eyebrow. Her fist came up and landed on Naruto's head.

"Damn gaki. Haven't been up for two minutes and already managed to annoy the hell out of me. And STOP CALLING ME BAA-CHAN."

"But you are already in your 50s. I mean come on, baa-chan, everybody knows."

Another tick mark appeared over her right eyebrow.

"I am so going to kill you gaki."

After five minutes, the blond boy groaned, his face looked like a cluster of bumps and bruises.

"Now gaki, you know why you need those bandages." smirked Tsunade while dusting of her hands. She got a groan in response.

" Well, I'll see you later. I have to check upon the others. I'll let everyone know you are awake. Took you long enough anyways. It's been four days.

Naruto's jaw dropped," F-F-Four days?"

"Well, what do you think? You had a hole in your chest! Even with your tenant helping, its still going to take some time. But, you'll be discharged tomorrow and I'll return you to active duty the day after that." replied Tsunade "And before I forget, meet me at my office at 7 sharp tomorrow. There are some complications that we need you for. And for the record your mission is classified as S-rank and you'll be payed accordingly. Congratulations on your first S-rank gaki"

Naruto smile grew at that and saluted enthusiastically, "Yes Ma'am!"


	4. Betrayal and Decisions

The longest chapter yet! guys start helping me out here and start reviewing. Tell me how you think the story is so far.

Everything except the plot is Kishimotos.

So, enjoy!

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All in all, Naruto was in an ecstatic mood. He was discharged earlier today. He got his S-Rank mission pay through a carrier bird. Before, he went on his way to the Hokage tower; he managed to eat at Ichiraku's. It's been so long since he ate the food of the gods. To put it simply, hospital food sucked, hands down. In fact, the only thing that was bothering him right now Sasuke and Sakura. He hadn't seen either of them after the retrieval. Truth be told, Naruto was scared of going to see Sasuke. He didn't know what to do. Should he feel angry? Betrayed? Happy? Sad? Proud? However he had sneaked in some ramen earlier today for him by giving it to Kakashi sensei. The man had smiled and said he would be glad to do it and left but not before tossing him a scroll. Kakashi told him it was a reward and to open it when he was alone.

Naruto barreled in through the open window landing right in front of the Hokage's desk. However, it was empty.

" That's strange. Where did Baa-chan go? Naruto wondered out loud," She better not be out drinking that sake of hers, not after I sacrificed my training time for her. If I can sacrifice training, then she can definitely sacrifice sake."

Behind him, however, the door exploded and Tsunade walked through, breathing heavily, closely followed by Shizune. Only Naruto's instincts protected him against the shrapnel raining into the room. They had been at a council meeting but both looked they just went to the funeral and had unshed tears in their eyes. Although the anger overshadowed the sadness Tsunade was feeling. Pure fury could be seen on her face. She marched straight up to her desk and punched it, easily cleaving the desk in two. Tons of probably important documents fell down.

" What the hell is going on?" asked a bewildered Naruto. Tsunade's head whipped towards him and looked surprised to see him. Her features softened.

"Naruto…"she whispered and suddenly turned towards her assistant and student, " Shizune, go get it" Shizune gave a shaky nod and left with Tonton in her hands. Tsunade then made a gesture, most likely a signal for the ANBU in the room to leave.

Without any warning, Tsunade pulled Naruto into a hug. Naruto was feeling completely confused. Then he realized, Tsunade baa-chan, was crying. Naruto stepped back from the hug with a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Umm… Baa-chan? Are you okay?" All Tsunade did was wipe her tears and hand him an official looking scroll. Naruto opened the scroll and looked at it. As he read on, his face became paler and paler. He was white with shock. A lone tear escaped through the corner of his eye. He passed the scroll back to her with his hands trembling. Tsunade could tell this was not the same boy who greeted her earlier. In his place stood a warrior, a warrior born from betrayal.

"It all came to this huh? After everything I did for _her_ and that _bastard._" I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I will not let you step down. Konoha needs you now more than ever. If you step down, it might lead to a civil war. However, I will not allow myself to get locked up either.

"Spoken like a true shinobi Naruto. Sensei's Will of Fire is strong within you," proudly stated Tsunade," But, they are still going to be after you even if you break out. That is if you can. This plan of action is not wise."

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at Tsunade straight in the eye," I won't be answering their summons today. By the end of today I'll be a missing nin."

Tsunade gasped," Naruto, its too dangerous. It'll be better if I step down; otherwise your life is going to be in danger every moment of your life.

Naruto sighed," I knew you would say this. Baa-chan, look at it this way; I'm choosing the lesser of three evils. One being that Danzou, Ero Sennin told me about him, creep's puppet, the second option is let them lock me up and no way in hell will I allow that and finally that leaves my option. Baa-chan, its for the best and don't worry, my loyalty is always towards Konoha. Besides I'll meet up with Ero-sennin as soon as possible.

The Sannin looked at Naruto's face," You aren't going to change your mind?"

"No"

"Nothing I say to stop you from doing this is going to work?"

"No"

"You're absolutely sure on this? There's no turning back once you are on that path."

"Yes"

"Very well. I have some things to assist you in your journey." Said Tsunade as she shifted her gaze to the doorway.

"Shizune, you can come in now."

Shizune's face looked like she was crying. She handed the few scrolls and the small box in her hand to her master and then suddenly grabbed Naruto into a hug; Naruto patted her on her back.

"It'll be fine, Shizune nii-san. I promise I'll try to keep in touch with you as much as possible" Shizune let go of him.

" Try to stay out of trouble will you?"

"No promises," with a fake cheeky smile replied Naruto.

Shizune laughed shakily," I suppose I have to live with that."

Tsunade cleared her throat," Gaki, take these clothes. They are made of the special chakra resistant thread from the Aburame clan. That white cloak is made of the same thing. Also we got you a straight sword. You can infuse it with chakra. Further more just put these seals on you and you'll be able to summon it at anytime. Lastly just take this scroll with you. Don't' open it now, only when your alone. I already got Jiraiya to set it up so only your blood will open the scroll.

"All of this…began Naruto, but his hand suddenly darted up to wipe his eyes," Thank you. For everything."

"Have to make sure you survive somehow," replied Tsunade, her own eyes getting moist once more " Listen Naruto, once you travel a considerable distance, find a secure place and open the scroll. I can only guarantee you a four hour head start, but Danzou's, men, ROOT ANBU, will be after you the instant he suspects something wrong. This is matter of life and death. Do you understand?

Naruto put on the seals for his sword onto his arm and strapped his scroll onto his back and stood at attention, " Perfectly Hokage-sama"

"All right. You are dismissed. Take care Naruto."

Naruto flashed her one last smile and was out of the window.

And that was the last anyone heard of Uzumaki Naruto for a while.


	5. Resolve

Wow! A new record: 5 chapters in 2 days and they're slowly getting bigger. With this chapter, everything is revealed, and the other two main characters are also unveiled. They'll be of major importance. And thanks to everyone for their continued support.

Nothing except the plot is mine

So, Enjoy!

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Naruto ran. With the slight usage of the Kyuubi's chakra, he zipped past the trees in the dense forest. His eyes slowly turned red as he continued on his journey. It had already been 2 hours. Since then, he already met with the ANBU, probably ROOT division that Baa-chan had talked about. They were all wiped out without any mercy. It probably helped that he used about two tails of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Naruto was for once was absolutely quiet. Not a sound escaped from his mouth. He was in his own world, thinking over everything that had happened over the course of a mere four hours. Naruto felt his emotions tumbling inside him. Foremost of all, he felt betrayed, hurt and lonely. He never thought even in his wildest of dreams that his teammate would betray him like that. Not after all he did for her. Not when he risked his life for her precious Sasuke-kun. Naruto couldn't believe he had been so gullible. She used his loyalty and sincerity to her advantage and he completely fell for it. It left a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth. His fists tightened. His hand brushed over the scroll that was in his pocket.

Naruto decided it was time for a break. Going on for too long would just leave him exhausted and would leave him unable to face any enemies that he might encounter. He gently landed on the forest floor and leaned against a rather big oak tree. He took several deep breaths trying to calm his racing heart down. Meanwhile, he eyes had faded back to their blue. However instead of the bright blue that usually showed happiness, determination and joy, the new shade of the eyes seemed dull, heartbroken and filled with pools of sadness. Naruto nudged a scroll out of his inner jacket pocket. He opened it and once again began to read it.

_To the holder of the Kyuubi, genin of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto,_

_As you may or may not already know, an emergency council meeting was brought to order regarding the retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke and your involvement in it. It was during this council session; a serious accusation was brought up. Councilwoman, Haruno Tsuki, has accused you of putting Uchiha Sasuke under your influence. The fact also remains our best Hunting and Tracking unit of ANBU, had confirmed the presence of the Kyuubi's chakra in your fight against the Uchiha. It was later confirmed that Uchiha Sasuke was in a critical condition, and will only be registered back on active duty after the time period of one and a half months. It was further noted that, Haruno Tsuki stated that her daughter, Haruno Sakura, a teammate of Uchiha Sasuke's has said that Uchiha Sasuke was on the door of death when he was brought in. The doctors have confirmed this statement. His injuries are as follows:_

_Fully broken ribs_

_Broken legs_

_Broken wrists_

_Numerous wounds all over body_

_Concussion_

_Chakra coils burnt_

_Internal bleeding_

_The doctor in charge of Uchiha Sasuke has stated that he is lucky to be alive right now. Haruno Sakura has further stated that she had indeed asked Uzumaki Naruto, her other teammate to bring back Uchiha Sasuke, but not try to kill him. However, the fact that you have bought back Uchiha Sasuke nearly dead is a punishable offence. A death penalty is the offence for attacking another fellow Konoha shinobi. Due to your special… circumstances, the mentioned punishment is not a viable option. Instead, Shimura Danzou, an elder on the council, has volunteered to take care of you and train you properly in the usage of the biju's chakra. Also, if you still insist on being stubborn, you shall be locked up in the correction facility made especially for jinchuriki. Shimura Danzou also provides the correction facility. However, following this, Senju Tsunade, the current Hokage, has protested most violently and threatened to step down as Hokage if such a thing were to happen. _

_Following these events, Uzumaki Naruto, you are summoned to the evening council session. Arrive at the Hokage Tower at 5 sharp. ANBU shall escort you to the council room. Choose your decisions wisely._

_Homura Mitokado _

_Koharu Utatane_

_Konoha Council_

Naruto rolled the scroll up and out it back inside his jacket. He then drew a deep, shaky breath. He was still in shock, even though he denied it to himself. He told himself that it didn't matter. That it meant nothing to him. But, it still hurt like hell. Naruto had all his dreams, ambitions and precious people all snatched away. And it all happened because of his female teammate, and because of the Uchiha lovers. That doctor was lying. Naruto had held back quite a lot when he used the Kyuubi's chakra, just to make sure that his teammate wouldn't be hurt too badly. However, Sasuke had no such thoughts. He was trying to go for the killing blow right from the beginning. It was only thanks to the fox, he was even here at the moment. Hell, he knew half the facts in the scroll were fake, but what really stung was that his pink haired teammate supported it.

It was all probably an elaborate plan to get him to be Danzou's puppet. Well, Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't be dancing to his tune. He probably took the least expected path that Danzou expected him to take. A small victory, but it still got a small grin out of Naruto. After all, Kakashi Sensei had called him the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja. Next time, Naruto would be waiting.

" Just you wait you creep of an old man, Danzou. You won't even know what hit you," thought Naruto out loud as he took off once more to the trees. Little did he know of the person that had been secretly watching him. The man stepped out from his hiding spot and into the open. The hidden man's gaze slowly followed Naruto's retreating back.

" You are a very interesting person, Uzumaki Naruto. Funny we share the same goal. We shall meet soon," mused the man out loud as a man with long white spiky hair, stepped out from the shadows.

" Well, what do you think?"

" He has potential. A huge amount of potential. I cannot believe that Konoha overlooked that. Their standards are slipping. That rotten council is probably behind it. But, if I were to teach him, he would be a force to be reckoned with, indeed." replied the man with shadow of a smile on his face.

The other man was silent for a moment. Then he spoke up, " So, you accept?"

"…Yes. Akatsuki has started to suspect me; it would be for the best to escape while I have the chance. I have I shall meet you in three days in the land in which the blade was put to rest beside the snow and a hero emerged from their deaths," replied the man as his Sharingan blinked into existence. He disappeared in a gentle gust of wind, but not before handing the other man a scroll.

"Naruto. You still have a long way to go." murmured the white haired man as he pocketed the scroll," Dark forces are after you. You need to be ready. After all, you are the Child of the Prophecy. You are the savior of this world. It's your destiny"

And then the white haired man too disappeared with a small pop.


	6. Poisoned by a Toad Sage

Well, the sixth chapter is here so far. This chapter is for Simgr101, who dedicated a lot of time to help me plot the story. So, thank you.

Everything except the plot is Kishmoto's

So, Enjoy!

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Naruto stood at the bottom of the cliff. It had been five hours now. But, still, Naruto thought that at least ROOT would have confronted him, by now. He was only a genin, and they were ANBU, the elite. A genin with the Kyuubi, but still, he didn't think that Konoha would just let their _weapon_ leave so easily. No, there was something else going on here. Was this a genjutsu? Good thing he had asked Kakashi-sensei on how to break out of a genjutsu just incase he went up against Sasuke in the Chunin Exams. Kakashi–sensei had told him that there were three ways to dispel a genjutsu. One, stab yourself. The pain would overcome the senses that were under the genjutsu. Two, send a large influx of chakra into each of your senses. The overload of chakra would override the genjutsu. However, for Naruto that wasn't an available option. He had the copious amounts of chakra needed to break out of a genjutsu, but he lacked the control to send it to where it is needed. Lastly, he could hope that a friend will be able to send his chakra inside him, and break him out of it. Like that would happen right now. So, that only left one option. Naruto stabbed himself in his hand. Not a genjutsu then. Good. But then, if this wasn't a genjutsu, what the hell was going on?

Naruto sighed. He was feeling tired. Not just physically. Emotionally, he felt drained. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but there was some part of him that thought the life of a missing-nin was adventurous, always fighting of strong enemies. He never knew it'd be this draining or this lonely. He sighed again and looked up at the clouds. He knew now why Shikamaru often looked at them. It was relaxing. He wondered how everyone else was back home. Was everyone celebrating that he was gone, or were they longing for him to come back? Probably the first option. His one regret was that he couldn't say goodbye to what few precious people he had.

"Damn, Naruto. Stop mourning and do so something about it." Naruto told to himself. Even Gamakichi or Gamatatsu would be company at this point.

"_Gamakichi and Gamatatsu…"_thought Naruto_," Of course! Maybe they can do that reverse summoning thing that Ero-sennin told me about, even though I have no idea how it works. Still, it'll be worth a shot"_

Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. Naruto flipped through the handseals as he crouched on the ground. He slammed his hand on the ground and yelled,

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu"

Two small puffs of smoke appeared. As the smoke cleared, Naruto could see Gamakichi and Gamatatsu. Gamatatsu immediately leaped towards Naruto and asked for a snack. Gamakichi simply said, " Yo"

"Why did I summon them again?" muttered Naruto, while giving Gamatatsu a small chocolate. Naruto clapped his hands together grabbing the attention of Gamakichi, who was lecturing his brother on eating too many snacks, and Gamatatsu who was eating the snack and by the look on his face, enjoying it.

"Okay. Listen up. I need to get to Ero-sennin as fast as possible. So, do you guys know that reverse summoning thing?"

The toads just blinked. Gamatatsu swallowed his treat and asked, "What's that?"

Naruto turned around and started banging his head on the tree.

" They're completely useless"

Naruto groaned. His day was just getting worse and worse.

"Naruto, wait. I can go back to Mt. Myoboku and tell Shima-sama, an elder, to come here using Gamatatsu's location to summon herself"

" Really, you could do that?" Naruto asked turning around instantly.

"Just wait here for a few minutes," replied Gamakichi as he disappeared in yet another puff of smoke.

While waiting, Naruto made several shadow clones, and all set up traps around the area. You never know when someone would attack. Then he got the shadow clones to stand guard. Meanwhile Gamatatsu was taking a nap under the big, leafy tree. Naruto himself was starting to get a little drowsy. He shook it off. It wouldn't do good to fall asleep now. In front of him, suddenly, a big white puff of smoke appeared. The faint outline of two toads could be seen. One was Gamakichi and the other was toad Naruto had never seen before. Naruto squinted. He could see now, that this toad had a green underside with purple marking around her mouth and the back of her body. However, the top of her head looked as if she had hair rollers on. She also had a spatula in one hand and an uncovered bowl in the other. All in all, Naruto thought that she just looked old and nothing special. Naruto voiced his opinion out loud and got a hit from the spatula for his contribution.

"Scratch that. This toad is just plain violent" thought Naruto while nursing the bump on his head painfully.

This is the child who has the toad contract, the one Gamabunta respects?" croaked out Shima to Gamakichi.

"Yes, Shima-sama. He has also protected me many times and even gives Gamatatsu snacks. He is also very loyal."

Naruto's stomach growled interrupting whatever Gamakichi was going to say.

" Well, he'll have to prove his loyalty to me," replied Shima with a wicked grin, "Boy, come here. You'll have to prove your loyalty.

"Umm… how?" asked a confused Naruto.

Shima whipped out her bowl and uncovered it releasing a horrible smell.

"By eating my special Toad Stir-Fry"

Naruto looked inside the bowl, holding his nose, and promptly turned purple, interestingly the same colour of the stir-fry.

"What the hell is in that?" he gasped out.

"Some of this and that including the special crunchy bugs and diced up earthworms " Shima replied cheerfully as she set the bowl in front of Naruto, "Now, eat up."

Naruto looked at the bowl in front of him in horror.

Unseen to him, Shima smiled slyly, " Gamakichi told me you were looking for someone who could use reverse-summoning on Jiraiya-chan. Well, I just happened to be a specialist in that. But, unless you eat up, I won't help you."

The bowl was empty in a matter of seconds.

"Good boy" Shima cackled delightfully as she patted Naruto's cheek. She however did not seem to notice Naruto's petrified expression or that he was slowly turning green.

Naruto snapped back to attention as she said," Now to summon Jiraiya-chan"

"Can you actually do it?" questioned Naruto.

"I'm a sage, boy. I am an expert on the art of summoning"

Shima went through a series of handsigns and slammed her hands on the ground. Right in front of her sat Jiraiya, who looked like he had been in a big fight. He had various cuts over his body and his clothes looked slightly singed, and smelled of sweat and ashes.

"Shima-sama, what's going on?" asked Jiraiya who had a relieved expression on his face.

"Your student, that's what" replied Shima as she collected her bowl. "Come on, Gamakichi, Gamatatsu, we are leaving."

Naruto turned towards her with relief and gratitude.

"Thanks Sennin baa-chan"

Shima's spatula spun through the air and created another bump on Naruto's head.

"I'm not that old yet, you insolent brat"

As the three toads disappeared, Jiraiya turned towards Naruto.

"Naruto, you have a lot of explaining to do"


	7. Jiraiya the Assasin

Sooooo sorry for the delay. I was having exams therefore unable to upload. So consider this as my apology. My longest chapter yet, with containg twice the amount of words the last one had. This contains my first action sequence. Any suggestions on how to improve it would be appreciated. Thanks to all the reviewers.

Unfortunately, Naruto still belongs to Kishimoto. Very sad that. Oh well...

So, Enjoy!

* * *

Uchiha Itachi looked at the horizon, watching the sunset. His eyes for once were not their usual blood red. Instead they remained coal black. A slight breeze picked up, blowing through his hair. This was one of the few times he could relax, and forget everything. All was peaceful. Itachi wished it could stay that way. It was futile, he knew, but one could still hope. He was not fated for peacefulness. The Hokage's new orders echoed around his head, once again reminding him of what he had to do now. Itachi stood up from the edge of the cliff, his arm as usual hanging out from his cloak. With his back turned to the sunset, he walked back to the dark, ominous gloom of the forest, where his partner, Kisame was waiting for him. His sharingan sprung back to life, glaring into the darkness. It was time. He would have to make his move soon.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

Jiraiya sighed. He didn't know what else to do. Naruto had served Konoha faithfully, and this is what he got. It was like a slap to his face. He didn't even want to imagine what Naruto was going through. Naruto himself broke into a few tears while reciting his story. Jiraiya heart tugged out to him. Now, Naruto sat in front of him, waiting with a blank expression on his face, waiting to hear his story. Jiraiya sighed again. Perhaps the story of a good fight could ease his godson's mind a little.

"Well after you left, Tsunade immediately notified me. Luckily, I was in the area, coming to meet you and to give a repot on the Akatsuki and to meet up with someone. Anyway, I was passing through the forest when I heard the cry of a hawk…"

_Jumping from branch to branch, Jiraiya hurriedly moved through the forest. After all, His godson and apprentice were in the ICU ward after his mission. Despite the worry, he felt immensely proud of Naruto. His morals, his loyalty and his dedication made him ideal for being the Child of the Prophecy. Naruto was the one he was looking for all this time. He would be the one to unite all the nations and bring peace to this cursed world. Suddenly, a hawk's screech interrupted his thoughts. Jiraiya stood still, perfectly balanced on the thick tree branch. His eyes examined the bird. After deducing it was safe, he put out his arm slowly. The hawk descended and landed on his arm. On its leg was a hastily tied note. Jiraiya untied it and lifted his arm. With a furious flapping of its wings, the hawk screeched once more, circled around the trees and headed back in the direction of Konoha. Jiraiya watched it return and then turned his attention towards the small scroll. He opened it carefully, and saw a small paragraph written in code. He smiled. It was written in the old code that only Team Sarutobi had used in the war. Quickly decoding it, he read the message, with the smile slowly wiping of his face. With a grim look on his face, he quickly burned the scroll and moved forward with a burst of speed, the tree branch from which he launched of shaking violently. _

_ Jiraiya knew the general whereabouts of Naruto. He was near the north gate; it was the only entrance he knew really well, considering all his out of village missions, coincidentally, used that gate. He knew the policy for missing ninja. They were given four hours before ANBU was after them. However ROOT behaved differently. Once Danzou made a decision, his ROOT ensured it was followed no matter what the cost. For them, it was the mission and only the mission. ROOT did not follow the standard protocol. They were probably already after Naruto. He could only pray for Naruto's safety, until he got there. _

_ With his speed, it was only in a matter of minutes that he reached the site where the ANBU Naruto had killed. It was gory and brutal. It looked like the Kyuubi's doing. Indeed the heavy residue of the Kyuubi's chakra could be sensed. Using a Doton justsu, Jiraiya quickly noticed that few more ANBU, all ROOT since the four-hour deadline hadn't reached yet, were approaching him, but none thankfully were behind Naruto yet. Looks like he would be toiling in the soil. A slight smile crawled its way onto his face. It had been a long time since he had to fight against ANBU. This would be good. Compared to him, they were merely amateurs. He pulled out a kunai. As he twirled it, he slowly masked his chakra, but not before utilizing a Henge__. It would not do well for one of the ROOT to recognize him. Sending the chakra directly into his feet, he disappeared from view. Within mere seconds, he reappeared right in front of the first ROOT team. Not giving them any second to react, he quickly thrust his kunai into the chest of the team leader. The leader gurgled on his blood and then fell onto the forest floor dead. The rest of the team gave no indication that they were saddened by the loss. Such was the way of ROOT. Jiraiya once again disappeared from view, using his superior speed. The sensor in the group quickly formed a handseal and tried to sense Jiraiya. Jiraiya smirked. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found. His hands folded themselves into the seal for the Shunshin no Jutsu__; Jiraiya appeared in between the formation between the ANBU members, in a soft gust of wind, crouched, with three kunais in his hand. They were dead before he even stood up. The next group was almost upon him. Time to take them head on. Making a single handsign, three Iwa Bunshins __sprung up from the ground and one Kage Bunshin__ puffed into existence. They also used the Henge. However Jiraiya made a slight miscalculation. He had underestimated the speed of one of the members of the other team. Out of nowhere, the ROOT member appeared out of the shadows, his hands already flipping through the handseals for Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu__. A great fireball tore its way through the forest, its target being Jiraiya. Jiraiya marveled at the incredible size of the attack and quick use of it. He could honestly say that it rivaled Uchiha Itachi's, who was considered a master of fire jutsus. Just before it him, Jiraiya used the Kawarimi no Jutsu__, replacing himself with a log nearby. As soon as he was out of danger, three Iwa bunshins, who were underground, sprung up behind the assassin. He had no chance and he too fell dead. Jiraiya frowned. The fireball alerted the others to where he was. He would have to fight the rest head on. Just as he finished his analysis, three more ROOT assassins landed onto the forest floor, positioning themselves in a way that the completely cut of all routes for escape. It would have seemed as an impossible situation to any other ordinary ninja, but then again Jiraiya wasn't one of the esteemed Sannin without any reason. His Iwa bunshin stood in a defensive stance around him, expecting an attack. They weren't disappointed. One of the ANBU created five Kage bunshin, with one going back to Konoha. Probably reporting to that old fossil, Danzou, but unfortunately for the ROOT assassin it wouldn't reach him. His hidden Kage Bunshin was already on it. Meanwhile, all the ANBU initiated their attack with one on each bunshin. However the original had two on him. They did not want him to leave. A volley of shiruken flew towards him, courtesy of one of the Kage Bunshin. The creator followed it up with a Katon: Housenka no Jutsu__ engulfing the shiruken with small fireballs. Jiraiya quickly went through handseals, his hands finally stopping at the seal for the dog. _

" _Doton: Doryuuheki__"__Jiraiya called out as he spew mud from his mouth which almost instantly took on the shape of a huge earthen wall. The flaming shiruken clanged harmlessly against it. However the ANBU wasn't finished. With his sword, covered in lightning, he thrust it forward against the earth wall, utilizing the thrust force; a crack appeared on the wall, slowly spreading itself out. Jiraiya was analyzing the jutsu. It looked a lot like that kid Kakashi's jutsu, Raikiri. Jiraiya launched himself onto the branches of a nearby tree branch as his earth wall exploded._

"_Oh? That's quite interesting." Jiraiya thought with a smirk on his face, as he watched his attackers dodging the flying rocks. He lunged forward, dodging the pieces of earth flying towards him. He pushed chakra onto the tip of his hands as he flipped over yet another piece of earth, creating a sharp chakra point at the end of his fingers. To do that required delicate chakra control, and to do that while moving and in the middle of a battle was nothing short of amazing. However, with the aim dead on, the clone's Katon: Karyuu Endan__ roared its way towards the Sannin, who quickly without any handseals or words, indicating his mastery of the justsu, blew out his own massive Karyuu Endan, which screamed its way to its twin. They clashed in the middle, locked in a violent struggle, each struggling to gain the upper hand over the other. It was indeed a sight to behold. As, the creator of the clones rushed at him, Jiraiya thrust his arm downwards as the ANBU tried to perform yet another Katon jutsu, Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Jiraiya was faster, however, meanwhile yet another clone had a kunai in his hand and was right behind him almost flying parallel to the ground with the weapon aimed for his neck. Jiraiya cursed under his breath. The guy was almost like Naruto in the way he used his Kage Bunshin, but he used them wisely and to his benefit. He definitely had some interesting strategies. Jiraiya let go of his Katon justsu. The clone let the kunai fly. From his peripheral vision, as he saw the kunai fly, Jiraiya rolled out of the way, as fast as he could. Even so, the kunai had given his hair a trim. The kunai went whizzed past and went straight ahead, right into the chest of its creator, whose hands were still folded together in the seals for his jutsu. The 'creator' burst into smoke. Meanwhile the enemy's Karyuu Endan had hit the clone behind him instead of him. Even then he could feel the intensity of the attack. Jiraiya once more smirked as his hand made contact with the ground. The earth under him exploded, due to the intense and condensed chakra at the end of his fingertips, revealing the hidden ANBU. One flying kunai and he was dead two seconds later. Now that he was not in battle, he was free to appreciate the strategy of the ANBU he just faced off against. From the beginning itself, the original had never come out. The assassin let Jiraiya think that the clone that confronted him was actually the original. It was only due to Jiraiya's wealth of experience that he was able to figure it out. What gave him away was that the 'original' clone dodged even the slightest of rocks when the earth wall had exploded after his lightning attack. From there on, everything was painfully obvious to Jiraiya. Looking around, his bunshin had taken care of things quite efficiently. The rest of ROOT members that attacked him were already on the ground. He dispelled his Iwa bunshin, as he realized his clothes were slightly singed. Well, it was time to go and he still had that meeting with Itachi. Suddenly a large influx of memories came to Jiraiya from the Kage Bunshin who had apparently as soon as he finished his mission dispelled himself after the assassination.__ Once more, putting his hand to the ground, he quickly searched for any immediate threats. He frowned. More ANBU were coming. It looked like since Naruto was the Jinchurikki of the Kyuubi, Tsunade couldn't stall any longer. There was nothing he could do about that. His priority was Naruto. He couldn't hurt the ANBU loyal to the Hokage anyway, but he could lead them on a merry chase. He dispelled his Henge as another Iwa bunshin sprang up from the ground. He exchanged a nod with the bunshin as it went East, Henged. Jiraiya made sure to flare his chakra before leaving; making sure his pursuers could sense it, ensuring his trap would work. Quickly without wasting any time, he once more leaped onto the branches, heading north, after Naruto._

* * *

All definitions from /ninjutsu/ and Narutopedia.

_1)Henge- Transformation Technique_

_2)Shunshin no Jutsu- Body Flicker Technique(High speed movement)_

_3)Iwa Bunshin- Earth Clone_

_4)Kage Bunshin- Shadow Clone_

_5)Katon: Goukakyuuu no Jutsu- Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique_

_6)Kawarimi no Jutsu- Body Substitute Skill_

_7)Katon: Housenka no Jutsu- Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique_

_8)Doton: Doryuuheki- Earth Style: Earth Rising Wall_

_9)Katon: Karyuu Endan- Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Blast_

Hope this helps!


	8. New Home

Ok ya, I was on a super long break. A big sorry to everyone. Feel free to shout at me. I don't know about the future updates but I'll do what I can. Thanks to all those who supported this story. This chapter is a bit boring but tell me how you think it is OTHER than it being boring! Naaa you can tell me whatever you want to tell me. Oh and there might be a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes in this, but I'm pretty sure I got most of them!

So, Enjoy!

* * *

In the small island close to the land of fire, two figures slowly walked by. The shorter of the two wore a pure white cloak with a slight hint of black and orange here and there. Like his companion, he also had a hood up that effectively hid his bright blonde hair. Only murky broken blue eyes could be seen poking out from underneath the hat. Meanwhile his older partner looked worriedly at the short boy who marched. Jiraiya sighed. It was probably a bad idea to bring Naruto here. However, he could not do anything. Further ahead, Naruto stopped right in front of massive bridge. On the arc that announced the name of the bridge, the words The Great Uzumaki Naruto Bridge could be clearly seen. Naruto's mouth dropped down at seeing the name of the bridge. He spun around facing his sense, who was smiling.

"Thought of surprising you, " Jiraiya replied to Naruto's unasked question, with a shrug of his shoulders. Naruto nodded and turned back to look at the massive structure. Looking at the bridge, the memories of his first C rank mission sprang into his mind. So much had happened after that. The slightest smile hovered by his mouth, but it was soon replaced with an expression of sorrow. So much death and sacrifice had happened on this very bridge. It was where he decided to finally take his life as a ninja seriously. This place had changed him and had inspired his Ninja Way.

" Ero-sennin, could we go to a place before we reach your safe house? "

"As long as you make it quick I suppose. We really don't have the luxury of staying out for too long without proper disguises "

Jiraiya grumbled to himself as he followed Naruto to the edge of a forest.

" Tch! I can't even do research! And where on earth is the gaki taking me?"

Instead of crossing the bridge, Naruto had veered to the right going into the slightly dense forest. Wasting no time, he almost subconsciously pushed his chakra into his feet and leaped onto the sturdy branches, with Jiraiya following right behind him. Naruto's white traveling cloak bellowed behind him as he jumped on the numerous branches. His place slowed down as he reached a small clearing. A giant metallic grey sword could be seen poking out from the ground. The edges still had a wicked shine to it despite being unused for a long time. Beside it two small tombstones could be seen, one Zabuza's and the other Haku's. It was placed at the very edge of the cliff overlooking the village. Both had been Naruto's opposition on the mission that changed his perspective of everything. They may have been enemies, but Naruto's beliefs and Ninja Way were inspired from Haku. Naruto stood in front of them while Jiraiya tactfully moved back to give the boy a little room.

"Hey guys. It's been a long time, huh? I hope you guys finally found each other in the afterlife. A lot has happened between the time I met you guys and now. You know something? When I met you, Haku, in that forest I looked up to you. I also wanted to have precious people. But now the two people I treasured the most betrayed me. And you know what? For some reason, I don't even feel angry at them. I feel like showing them what they did was wrong. I want to get stronger. I'm tired of acting like an idiot. Now all I want to do is show them how wrong they were to do what they did. I don't know if what I'm thinking is even right but that's what my emotions are telling me" Naruto sighed and looked up at the sky as chilly breeze flowed throughout the clearing rifling the leaves of the numerous plants and leaves, " Haku, I wish you were here now. You would known what to do. I never had the chance to tell you this but had you lived you would've been like a big sister to me. Thank you for everything "  
He walked back towards Jiraiya while rubbing his hands across his eyes. Jiraiya noticed and gave the boy an one armed hug.

Naruto whispered to Jiraiya, " Ero-sennin, I want to get stronger. Much stronger!" Jiraiya smiled to this. The boy still had some spirit left in him.

" Oh don't you worry, I'm going to make you the best of the best, a legend to be remembered throughout the ages"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

* * *

It had been five days since they had arrived at Wave. They were staying at one of Jiraiya's many safe houses. Coincidentally this one was near Tazuna's house though Naruto had yet to meet them. The safe house was quite impressive Naruto had to admit, as he lay musing in bed. It was underground, but to get access to it he had to enter a small, pathetic looking hut which looked as if it had seen better days. As he entered his chakra imprint which was unique to each person was automatically scanned using Jiraiya's unique chakra imprint seal. This seal also had a dual purpose. Any attempts to fool it wouldn't work. It could detect genjutsu, henges, disguises and much more. The moment it determined it was actually him and not an impostor, the other protective seals acted up. It was similar to a domino effect. His smell would then be suppressed by another seal. The entire rotting floor of the moss-covered hut was weight sensitive thanks to another seal, however it wasn't fully perfected, so therefore it was not completely accurate. Although it now worked on taking a rounded figure. Ero-sennin was working on perfecting it and along with making other protective seals in his spare time. From there to finally access the stairs leading down, he had to release a minor genjutsu. The moment he walked down the stairs though, several other seals would activate to make sure the hut was the same way it was before he came in. The genjutsu would be re-applied, the seals that granted entry to the hut would reset. Even dust would be copied to down to the last molecule. It was quite an impressive amount of seal work and it certainly demonstrated Jiraiya's mastery of seals. However when Naruto had first arrived, Jiraiya had to demonstrate each step as well as reprogram the seals to allow entry to Naruto as well seeing as they were going to be together for a long time. The only snag was Naruto could not break through the genjutsu, so Jiraiya came up with the idea of using a seal which Naruto could place on the floor which disabled the genjutsu which was nothing short of brilliant in Naruto's mind. But the real beauty of it was that it could be reused.

" Hmmm...but to think seals could this useful. I can't wait to see their effectiveness in battle. I think I'll ask Ero-sennin to start teaching me fuuinjutsu. It should be worth it..." Naruto thought to himself. He gazed around the room. It was actually quite large. There was space for everything. A wardrobe, a desk and chair, a bookcase, a couch, a spacious washroom, a dressing table and of course a super comfortable bed which looked as if it was made for three people to sleep in. Naruto slowly smiled. It was different from his previous home, but Ero-sennin had really gone out of his way for him. He owed the perverted geezer. With that merry thought, Naruto switched off the lamp and drifted off into his first dreamless sleep in a long time.


End file.
